Exeter

Why the Big Society?

Personal View

I’ve been doing my bit for David Cameron’s Big Society all week as our local council in Devon has stopped performing a variety of tasks to save money.

I live in a “Clean City”, as the signs keep telling us. It also has a Beacon Council, whatever that means. I must say normally it performs quite well, dispensing both cleanliness and a civilized living space.

Out walking this morning I noticed a long line of tall weeds running along the curbs of an adjoining street. From a distance they resembled those rows of poplars that line the French countryside. Up close, they are no such thing, just rank, ugly weeds.

I also spotted a solitary sunflower in full bloom on the river bank at Exeter’s Quay. Clearly, there’s not much work going on there.

Grass verges are in the same state — unmowed — while most council land is a mess. I’ve been clearing up the road outside my house, and some others have followed suit. In the lane, weeds were at waist height until some of us set about them.

And that dreaded letter dropped on my doormat this morning informing us that rubbish collection will now be fortnightly instead of weekly.

Now I don’t mind making a contribution if it really is necessary. The problem is, councils tend to cut indiscriminately, without thought for the outcome.

Today, we had a “Community Safety” event on the Cathedral Green. Groups of police officers, fire crews and safety people were milling around waiting to answer our queries about safety. There were few takers when I was there.

Call me naive, but isn’t that precisely the sort of thing that should have been cut first instead of the grass cutting?

Here’s a suggestion for our beleaguered councillors and officials: give the Secretary of State’s office a call; if you can get through to the Great Pickles (Eric) himself, so much the better. His bluff Yorkshire common sense should solve all your problems.

Ask him, or whoever is available, if the Coalition can waive all those daft edicts issued by Labour ministers in the tangled undergrowth beneath primary legislation. They cost too much local wealth to enforce.

Anything politically “correct” or safety related can comfortably go. So-called equality and diversity nonsense, ditto. Bonfire it all away, it doesn’t need an Act of Parliament.

Then perhaps they can get out and start cutting the grass again.